Obe-washeb



ALEXANDER M. GOW, 0F DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

ORE-WASHER.

- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application led November 26, 1917. Serial No. 203,938.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER M. Gow, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Duluth, in the county of St. Louis, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Washers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ore washers.

. One of the objects of the invention is to improve the bearing construct-ion of rotors for ore washers whereby the rotors may be readily assembled and disassembled. Y

Another object is to improve the paddle arrangement on the rotors to progressively advance the ore. and eliminate end thrusts.

Another object is to prevent waste of the ore.

Generally speaking, these and other objects are accomplished by providing, in an ore washer, the combination of readily removable rotors, means th'ereon for advancing the ore and preventing end thrust, and a classifier for preventing waste of ore.

The linvention is illustrated on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of an ore washer embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, parts being in section;

Fiig. 3 is a sectional view of the bearing construction of the rotors and showing the driving connection between the rotors and associated shaft;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view showing the driving connection between an intermediate driving member and the rotor; and

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view showing the driving connection between the supported shaft and the mechanism for driving the various rotors.

The various novel features of my invention will be apparent from the followingdescription and drawings 'and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The arrangement'which I have disclosed herein isan improvement over the arrange-` ment disclosed in my Patent No. 998,573, granted July 18, 1911. lGenerally speaking, the ore washer includes a tank 10 having an ore discharge outlet 11 at its raised end and a water discharge outlet 12 at the lower' end, the tank being provided with water through a suitable supply pipe 13 and valve control pipe connections 14. The rotors 15 are actuated by any suitable motor 16 through a shaft 17 extending longitudinally along one side of the tank, there being any suitable driving connection between the driving shaft 17 and the rotors, such, for example, as worms 18 meshing with corresponding worm gears 19 associated with each of the rotors 15.

It is very desirable that any rotor may be readily removable. It is also desirable that no great accuracy of alinement be necessary between the two bearings on the opposite ends of each rotor. To this end I have provided bearing sleeves '20 which are removably secured to opposite sides of the tank 10, preferably by means of 'bolts 21 and which bearings are preferably outwardly of the tank. Each bearing sleeve receives a shaft 22 having a squared end 23 which is received by a socket portion 24 of an intermediate driving member A25 having four lugs 26 which respectively fit into the four angle bars 27, comprising the body portion of each of the rotors. The bearing and driving conf nections on each side of each rotor is the same with the exception that on one side the worm gear 19 is operatively connected to the shaft 22 for positively transmitting a rotary movement from the longitudinally extending shaft 17 to the rotor in each case.

It is apparent, therefore, that if it is desired to remove any one of the rotors` it is merely necessary to remove the bearing sleeves` whereupon the intermediate driving member 25 may be disengaged from the rotor, and the rotor 15 withdrawn or replaced. It is evident that the intermediate driving member may be dispensed with by making the lugs 26 integral with shaft without departing from the spirit of the invention. although for mechanical reasons I prefer the details as shown. In either case I obtain the flexibility desired and avoid the necessity for exact alinement.

In connection with the paddle arrangement on the rotors, itrwill be noted that I have provided eight paddles 28 on each.

'engaging the ore which is being advanced along the bottom of the tank. 'On successive rotois the paddles are placed directly in line with each other and not staggered, as

shown in my previous patent. The purpose of this is to prevent a too intimate relation of the paddles at any time. In this way it is impossible for a piece of'ore to be caught between two longitudinally alined paddles. Furthermore, this arrangement obviates the close sizing of ore which has been necessary heretofore, andv ore in fairly large pieces can be .handled without danger of breaking the paddles. lnview of the fact that each paddle moves the' ore forward, room is left for advancing additional ore by the paddle directly in the rear.

In practice under the present type of apparatus, experience has shown that oftentimes ore being treated in the washers gives off fragments which are too large to waste and which it is desirable to utilize. To this endl have provided a tailings chamber in the lower end of the washer associating therewith a plurality of classifiers providing means for withdrawing the classi ed fragments. The tailings chamber l form by providing inner tail board 31 and the outer tail board 30 in spaced relation, each being formed of a plurality of removable members 3,1 and 30, whereby the height of-each may be varied to conform to the fineness of the ores being washed. In the bottom of the chamber defined by the boards 30 and 31 are inserted the classifiers 33 which will accommodate pieces of material too large to be washed and which pieces are carried in suspension-"by Water over the tail board 31. Water is delivered' to the classifiers through the valve control connections 34, Where y there is a constant flow Aof water upwardly through the chamber 32 resulting in agitation therein which acts to precipitate the heavy fragments carried over the inner tail board 31. Furthermore, the flow of water over this board acts to increase the agitation in the chamber 32. The size of the lchamber and the velocitytof the flow of the Water from the tank l0 will in 'a measure determine what particles will be precipitated and fall into the classifiers 33. The rising of the water through the classifiers will prevent the .slimes from settling and in a measure control the fragments precipitated.

- It is a parent that there may be various modifications of the invention herein parf ticularly shown and described and it is my intention to cover all such modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

l claim:

1. ln an ore washer, a rotor including a plurality of Separate. angle members, agitators held between. said angle members, supported shaft sections, and separate connecting members in' substantial alinement between said shaft sections and said angle members.

2. In an ore Washer, a rotor including a plurality of angle members, supported shaft sections, and lugs associated with the shafts and flexibly engaging they angle members.

3. ln an ore washer, a tank, a rotor mounted therein, bearings removably secured to the tank at opposite ends of the rotor outwardly of the tank, and shafts in the bearings adapted to flexibly engage the ends of the rotors and revolve therewith, said bearings adapted to retain said shafts in engagement with the rotors.

4. In anv ore washer, a tank, a rotor mounted therein including a plurality of angle members, bearings removably secured to the tank at opposite ends of the rotor, shafts in the bearings, and lugs associated with the shafts exibly engagiii the angle members. Signed at Duluth, inn., this 7th day of November, A. D. 1917.

ALEXANDER M. GOW.

Witnesses UTTo S. MAUTHEY, J.- E.. CARLSON. 

